The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of a pocket hearing aid or device having an essentially parallelepiped-shaped housing which has access openings for adjustment or tuning elements for the electrical part of the device and which access openings can be closed by a slide as well as a compartment for the reception of a current source, the compartment being movable from an open into a closed position, and the outer wall of the compartment coincides with one of the side surfaces of the housing.
In the context of this disclosure there is to be understood under the term source a single cell of an electrical element, for instance a galvanic element or cells which has been interconnected into a battery.
A state-of-the-art pocket hearing aid of the previously mentioned type comprises an essentially parallelepiped-shaped housing, whose one lengthwise extending side coincides with the slide or slide member and the other lengthwise extending side coincides with the outer wall of the compartment which can be rocked out about a hinge or a pivot pin. The slide covering the access openings leading to the adjustment or balancing elements or the like, extends in the lengthwise direction of the housing and can be opened transversely with respect to its lengthwise extent by engaging the same with the nail of a finger. Since the slide therefore is displaceably arranged in the direction of its wide side, both during opening and closing thereof it tends to easily cant.
In order to open the outwardly pivotable compartment it is necessary to engage with the nail of a finger into a recessed gripping edge, while the housing must be held with the other hand. Since such type devices are especially used by older individuals, these manipulations performed during exchange of the current source can be quite cumbersome and problematic for such individuals. As a result, it has been found that the exchange of the current source, under circumstances, can be put off for an indefinite amount of time, and the relatively expensive device is no longer capable of fulfilling its intended service. This, in turn, can lead to a negative commercial evaluation of such devices.
During improper handling of the outwardly pivotable compartment, it is possible with this prior art device to expose to shear loads, owing to the lever action, its support or bearing elements. However, in order to avoid damage of the support or bearing elements there is required a robust construction. Yet, in consideration of the extremely small available space this, in turn, practically only can be satisfactorily accomplished by the use of metallic bearing pins. However, since the housings of such devices are preferably fabricated from plastic material, the use of an arrangement employing metallic bearing pins requires an increased expenditure in the fabrication, and thus, increased costs.
The slide and the outwardly pivotable compartment of the heretofore known device posses a number of non-overlapping joints in relation to the housing body, through which there can easily penetrate into the housing interior contaminants or other undesirable foreign objects.